Immigration is the hottest of hot-button issues, if a panel today at the Conservative Political Action Conference is any indication.

At a CPAC panel discussion, speakers who called for massive “self-deportation” of immigrants living illegally in the U.S., English as the only language of government and stepped-up enforcement received loud applause. Any praise for immigrants’ contributions to the U.S. economy or comprehensive immigration reform was met with silence or boos from the audience at the largest annual gathering of conservative activists.

Alex Nowrasteh, a policy analyst at the conservative Competitive Enterprise Institute and an occasional Texas on the Potomac guest blogger, argued that the answer is better immigration laws. He argued that immigration brings new ideas and prosperity to America, receiving hesitant applause mixed with boos from the audience.

The enemy isn’t immigration — it’s the welfare state, he said.

He denounced the idea of a using a federal database like e-verify, which requires people to “ask permission” before applying for a job, arguing that true free-market conservatives should be disgusted. Nowrasteh said the true problem is the complexity of legal immigration, and he challenged the audience to attempt the process of hiring a temporary worker.

“Let’s bring back the Ellis Island mode of immigration,” he said. “Not because it is good for them, but because it is good for us.”

Kris Kobach, Secretary of State of Kansas, strongly disagreed, citing 13 million Americans looking for jobs and 5 million people waiting to lawfully immigrate as reasons for databases like e-verify. He argued for “attrition through enforcement,” contending that through better enforcement of the law, illegal immigrants would self-deport.

Kobach highlighted the benefits of verification systems like those used in Arizona and Alabama, stating that they have already produced results. He attributed the drop in illegal immigrants in these southern states to these programs (and not the deep economic recession).

“If you want to create a job for a us citizen tomorrow, deport an illegal alien today,” he said, receiving loud applause.

Robert Vandervoot, executive director of ProEnglish, didn’t address federal identification databases, but instead argued that English should be the official language of the United States. With 52 other countries that have already made it the official language, he said, America should be next.

Freshman Rep. David Rivera, R- Fla., offered a unique perspective, as he represents a state with many industries that rely on illegal immigrants for labor. He argued that an improved guest worker program would dramatically help the situation, as many citizens do not want to take the jobs these industries offer.

Rivera pointed out that these workers don’t want to become citizens, and that visa reform would make it easier for them to go back to their home countries. Ultimately, he said, a better guest-worker program would be the foundation for better a immigration policy.